By Sitalatma Das
Part of our ISKCON folklore is a story of early devotees wondering who were those māyāvādīs Śrīla Prabhupāda always rallied against – because no one knew any particular māyāvādī at the time, and then it hit them – they (we) are the māyāvādīs! Not by our professed ideology but by our attitudes and by the quality of our relationships, which were often very impersonal in nature. A lot of Bhāgavatam classes were spent on uncovering impersonalism in our lives afterwards. Otherwise a
From Back to Godhead
Reciting Shlokas that glorify Lord Krishna can awaken the soul to eternal knowledge.
Today, as I came by bus in the morning,” reported our ethics lecturer, “a person was repeating a Shloka. What is the purpose of such muttering? What is the use of such repetition of words such as modaka hasta (with the modaka sweet in hand)? This is a silly practice.”
This statement came as a real surprise to me as I had been taught many Shlokas as a child and I enjoyed chanting them too wh
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारुढ़ानि मायया ।। 61 ।।
ईश्वरः– भगवान्;सर्व-भूतानाम्– समस्त जीवों के;हृत्-देशे– हृदय में;अर्जुन– हे अर्जुन;तिष्ठति– वास करता है;भ्रामयन्– भ्रमण करने के लिए बाध्य करता हुआ;सर्व-भूतानि– समस्त जीवों को;यन्त्र– यन्त्र में;आरुढानि– सवार, चढ़े हुए;मायया– भौतिक शक्ति के वशीभूत होकर।
By Radha Mohan
On the auspicious occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day, Srila Prabhupada’s disciples from throughout the UK were invited to Bhaktivedanta Manor to worship Srila Prabhupada, make offerings of gratitude to him, and receive a special gift.
The gift, made by devotees in Russia headed by Madan Mohana das, was a small deity of Srila Prabhupada in a box that opened into an altar.
Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were delighted to receive this treasured form of Srila Prabhupada a
By Atma Tattva Das
Kirtan, the sacred practice of chanting and singing the names of The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, is a profound tool for meditation and self-expression. For Premanjali Dasi, kirtan is not only a complete devotional activity but also a transformative experience she aims to make accessible to all. Through her innovative Learn Kirtan initiative, she has opened the doors for individuals—particularly those new to bhakti—to embrace the art of kirtan as a means of med
I love to give class. The themes were “Planning”, “Expanding” and “ What we love about Krishna”. I am not always proud of my presentations, like today, but I am basically glad if more of the listeners fell asleep. That’s one way that I gauge success in delivery. Did I make anyone laugh. That to me is another criterion at a class.
Our guru, Srila Prabhupada, was a laughologist, but that did not form the bulk of his presentation. It was a component of a class whether it was based on the Gita, B
“By performance of yajña, the conditioned souls gradually become Krishna conscious and become godly in all respects. In the Age of Kali, the sankirtana-yajña (the chanting of the names of God) is recommended by the Vedic scriptures, and this transcendental system was introduced by Lord Caitanya for the deliverance of all men in this age. Sankirtana-yajña and Krishna consciousness go well together. Lord Krishna in His devotional form (as Lord Caitanya) is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.5
An appreciation of the extraordinarily devoted life of Srila Prabhupada’s beloved disciple Yamuna Devi Dasi (1942–2011).
Sitting on the front porch of her Oregon home, Joan Campanella was delighting in the Pacific thunderstorm drenching the coastline when, with surprise, she noted the mailman on his rounds despite the foul weather. Bent against the wind, rain dripping from his long hair, the mailman walked up her porch steps, reached into his waterproof m
Hare Krsna movement is not a "For Ascetics Only" club.
Five centuries ago Lord Caitanya, who is the Supreme Lord. Krsna, Himself and the founder of the Hare Krsna movement, predicted that in every town and village around the globe God's holy names would be heard. Twenty-four years ago His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a devoted follower of Lord Caitanya, journeyed from India to the West and began to vigorously introduce Krsna consciousness. As a result, people everywhere hav
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
मच्चित्तः सर्वदुर्गाणि मत्प्रसादात्तरिष्यसि ।
अथ चेत्त्वमहङ्कारान्न श्रोष्यसि विनङ्क्ष्यसि ।। 58 ।।
मत्– मेरी;चित्तः– चेतना में;सर्व– सारी;दुर्गाणि– बाधाओं को;मत्-प्रसादात्– मेरी कृपा से;तरिष्यसि– तुम पार कर सकोगे;अथ– लेकिन;चेत्– यदि;त्वम्– तुम;अहङ्कारात्– मिथ्या अहंकार से;न श्रोष्यसि– नहीं सुनते हो;विनङ्क्ष्यसि– नष्ट हो जाओगे।
By Radha Mohan
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, invited faith leaders from different traditions to join him for breakfast on Thursday, November 14th.
Visakha Dasi, representing ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, was pleased to hear Mr Starmer emphasise the importance of faith to the fabric of UK society. “That was especially evident”, Mr Starmer said, “during the pandemic when great numbers of people turned to places of worship for shelter and solace in a time of international uncertain
Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the UK, invited faith leaders from different traditions to join him for breakfast on Thursday, November 14th.
Visakha Dasi, representing ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, was pleased to hear Mr Starmer emphasize the importance of faith to the fabric of UK society. “That was especially evident,” Mr Starmer said, “during the pandemic when great numbers of people turned to places of worship for shelter and solace in a time of international uncertainty.”
For more de
They were on fire. It was unique for me and I’ve been to many weddings. This one – the union of Venkatesh and Mansi, started with a bang! A vintage New York fire truck came along outside the banquet hall with its siren on full blast and then gave way to some bangra number where all the guys friends of Venkatesh , the groom, gyrated atop the vehicle. They were having a blast. Everyone joined into the spirit.
Inside the banquet hall a more grave approach to the ceremony commenced.
The Panditji
The following incident, described in Watering the Seed, took place exactly forty-five years ago.
Almost every morning in Bombay Srila Prabhupada used to walk on Juhu Beach. One morning I was feeling especially wretched and miserable. Although so many other devotees were present, Srila Prabhupada began to speak as if he were addressing me personally.
He quoted a Sanskrit verse and said there are two words—a-natha and sa-natha. Natha means “master,” so a-natha means “without master” and sa-natha m
By Rupali Chadha, MD
Over the years I have been approached by many a devotee in distress. Though I grew up in ISKCON and have been slowly cultivating my own Krishna consciousness, I am very much a neophyte. I was blessed by Krishna’s will in that I became a physician. I went forward to specialize in general and forensic psychiatric medicine. It is for this reason, I am often approached by devotees when their emotional life becomes overwhelming. Often they are told to chant better rounds or seek
In each of its twelve cantos, Srimad-Bhagavatam, the “flawless ripened fruit of all Vedic scriptures,” tells of miracles and mysticism, of the esoteric and extraterrestrial. We hear a cow, bull, elephant, monkey, and bird speaking deep philosophy. We learn of the four-headed creator who sits atop a lotus flower, of a magnificent aerial mansion, and of a five-year-old who pushes down half the earth with his toe and makes demigods suffocate. We learn of people giving birth to tens of thousands of
भगवद्गीता यथारूप 108 महत्त्वपूर्ण श्लोक
अध्याय अठारह उपसंहार -- संन्यास की सिद्धि
भक्त्या मामभिजानाति यावान्यश्र्चास्मि तत्त्वतः ।
ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ।। 55 ।।
भक्त्या– शुद्ध भक्ति से;माम्– मुझको;अभिजानाति– जान सकता है;यावान्– जितना;यः च अस्मि– जैसा मैं हूँ;तत्त्वतः– सत्यतः;ततः– तत्पश्चात्;माम्– मुझको;तत्त्वतः– सत्यतः;ज्ञात्वा– जानकर;विशते– प्रवेश करता है;तत्-अनन्तरम्– तत्पश्चात्।
I offer my humble obeisances and deepest respect to His Divine Grace Srila Jayapataka Swami Maharaj. I am posting this with a heavy heart, but because it is my duty to share my experience with the assembled devotees for the highest good of all. It is embarrassing and uncomfortable to share this story, but it is so important that I choose to do it anyway. I sincerely pray that you will learn from my mistakes and remain strong in your devotional service to your Spiritual Master. It is the most imp
By Pitambara Das
The 2024 Zone 1 Leadership Conference, held from November 8th to 10th in Edmonton, Alberta, brought together over 60 leaders from more than 25 ISKCON centers across Canada and six northern U.S. states. Under the theme “Think Big, Do Big, Act Small,” the conference focused on a shared vision for ISKCON’s growth and mission, guided by Srila Prabhupada’s principles and the spirit of Krishna Consciousness.
Inspired by Bhaktimarga Swami, this annual gathering highlighted collective p
